Archives for March 2012

I don’t know about you, but I’m pretty sure whoever came up with that saying was skinny. Because let’s face it, there are lots of times in my life when the only thing I can find that fits are my shoes.

If I had written that saying, it would be something like “If the pants fit (even if you have to lay on the bed holding your breath while wearing 2 pairs of Spanx), wear them….especially if they make your butt look smaller.”

This weekend I’m at the Killer Tribes Conference in Nashville. And since I’ve gained 52 pounds since the beginning of December, I can honestly say, my shoes are just about the only things that fit.

There’s something about conferences that makes me want to look my best. I only get 1 chance to make a first impression, but when I could only come up with 5 spring/summer outfits that fit (besides workout clothes) and 2 of those were dirty, I had to improvise.

Although my outfits aren’t super impressive in and of themselves, I do have cute shoes. At least I know I’m putting my best foot forward. (Pun intended!)

So if you’re at Killer Tribes this weekend, I’ll be the girl in either red high heels or lime green snakeskin ballet flats. I’d love to meet you.

For everyone else who I won’t get to meet this weekend, I’d love to hear from you too.

Tell me how you spice up a wardrobe of ill fitting clothes in a size you’re not happy about!

This post may contain affiliate links. Please see my Disclosure Policy for more information.

The Volumetrics Eating Plan is based on the simple fact that people like to eat. And, if people are given the choice between eating more and eating less, they’ll take more almost every time. If you take a look at meal sizes over the last thirty years, you’ll notice that not only have the portions increased, the size of the plate has increased too.

Unlike diets that are based on deprivation, the Volumetrics diet doesn’t try to fight this natural preference. Its creator, nutritionist Barbara Rolls, PhD, argues that limiting your diet is not sustainable; you will just wind up hungry and unhappy and revert back to your original eating habits.

The approach Dr. Rolls takes is to help people find food they can eat lots of while still losing weight. The diet revolves around the feeling of fullness, or satiety. The theory is that people feel full based on the amount of food they eat, not the number of calories or nutrient density.

The trick is to fill up on foods that aren’t full of calories, which allows the dieter to stick to the main principle of calorie restriction. Dr. Rolls claims that in some cases, following a Volumetrics diet will allow you to eat more than you do now, while still slimming down.

Dr. Rolls has excellent credentials. She a professor of nutrition and director of the Laboratory for the Study of Human Ingestive Behavior at Penn State University. She is also the author of more than 200 research articles. Volumetrics is based, in large part, on the work done in her laboratory.

What You Can Eat on the Volumetrics Diet

Since the diet doesn’t revolve around differences in body types or “good” foods and “bad” foods, Dr. Rolls doesn’t ban food types as part of the Volumetrics diet. She does, however, urge people to evaluate foods based on their energy density which is a critical concept for the diet.

Energy density is the number of calories in a specified amount of food. Some foods are more energy dense than others, like fats, which have a lot of calories packed into a small size. Water, on the other hand, has an energy density of zero.

Basically, this diet is a game to see how you can eat more food while eating fewer calories. Here is a short break down to give you some idea of what Volumetrics is all about.

Very low-density foods include:

Non-starchy vegetables
Nonfat milk
Soup broths

Very high-density foods include:

Crackers
Chips
Cookies
Chocolate and Candies
Nuts
Butter and Oils

Since water is the ultimate zero-density food, Volumetrics relies heavily on foods with a high water content, such as many vegetables and fruits, which are 80 to 95 percent water. These will fill you up without adding a lot of calories. Dr. Rolls also suggests eating lots of foods with filling fiber, along with adequate portions of lean protein and healthy fats from fish and other sources. Of course, energy-dense foods, like sweets, fats, and alcohol, are still allowed, but only in moderation.

Anyone who loves lots and lots of food will enjoy the Volumetrics diet. You will still have to do some simple math to calculate the energy density of foods, but at least you don’t have to track calories or deny yourself a small bite of that delicious chocolate mousse. If endless bowls of soup and piles of veggies and fruit appeal to you, dig into Volumetrics and watch the weight come off.

While there are lots of pros to the way of eating, you do need to be aware that if you lack self control and aren’t a big fan of fruits and veggies, this probably isn’t the diet plan for you!

The Nutrisystem Diet Plan is quite different from most other diets. While most other diets require you to either eat less, or cut out carbohydrates or fat, the Nutrisystem Diet does neither. In fact, for most people it would probably be the easiest diet to follow – except for one small thing:the price. Success in the program relies heavily on purchasing pre-packaged meals from Nutrisystem.

The Nutrisystem Diet was designed around the GI, or glycemic index – which relates to how your body reacts to specific carbohydrates. The faster the sugar is released (high GI), the more insulin your body produces in reaction to it – making you feel hungry again sooner. This is why people like me who have a major sweet tooth find themselves feeling hungry and irritable and constantly nibbling.

The concept of Nutrisystem is simple: add foods to every meal that will lower the GI of your meal in total, and as such reduce the insulin response form your body. By doing so you will be less likely to eat unnecessarily in between, and eventually eat less in total – not because you have to, but because you will feel like it.

What you have to keep in mind is that – while your body reacts to most proteins, fibers and other nutrients in a similar fashion, it does differentiate between different types of sugars and carbohydrates.

Some types of sugar – like sucrose and glucose (commonly encountered in sweets and desserts) tend to cause a spike in blood sugar, and as a result it causes a spike in your body’s reaction (insulin production) to it. Other forms of sugar like dextrose (fruit sugar) takes longer to break down, and does not create the “spike effect”.

Exercise is – unlike other “normal” diet plans – not deemed to be necessary. If you feel like indulging in it, it will help, but the system works just fine without it. There are, however, a few recommendations about switching to low-fat milk, and adding salads and fruit to every meal.

The biggest stumbling block with the Nutrisystem Diet is the effect it’s likely to have on your pocket. Ready-made meals and groceries can be ordered from the supplier’s website – and these are necessary in order to achieve success. Unfortunately, it does not come cheap, and it can be out of reach for many people who really want to lose weight.

Additionally, if you want your family to adopt your new, healthier eating habits, it could end up costing you a pretty penny every month to feed everyone.

For those who can afford it and who are in search of an easy option, the Nutrisystem Diet offers a viable alternative to other diet systems.

The diet plan I’m sharing with you today is a diet plan that can be very effective, but one that I personally would never even consider following. I like lots of meat and I really like cooked food, so the Raw Food Diet doesn’t hold much appeal.

What is the Raw Food Diet?

The Raw Food Diet is both as simple – and as complicated – as the name states. On the one hand it means that the eating plan is built around the consumption of foods in their natural state. On the other hand, it means that you will be cutting most foods from your diet.

The philosophy behind the diet is simple: foods in their natural state contain fewer unwanted or undesirable substances, while offering higher nutritional benefit. There are no added sugars, so there are no problems with high GI foods, and it’s safe for diabetics. There is not much in the line of fats and oils – barring the fat content of the nuts, which contain natural healthy oils. There is no processing that can add any unnatural chemicals or otherwise harmful substances.

The Raw Food Diet, however, is even stricter than a vegetarian diet in the sense that while both of them cut out animal products completely, the latter still allows food to be cooked. The Raw Food Diet is exactly that – raw food.

The reasoning behind the raw food diet is that when food is cooked, a lot of the nutritional value is lost. While there are several products claiming to “retain the vitamins and nutritional value” when cooking food in them, the claims are unsubstantiated.

The reality is that the chemical structure of most natural components (in food) change purely because of the temperature. Even protein changes its chemical structure when it’s brought to a boiling point. While not all of it becomes useless, some of it is denaturized to the point of losing its efficiency.

Additionally, raw food is a lot easier to digest – making it less work for the digestive system. There is little build-up of fat in the intestines, and little chance for digestive and intestinal problems. Additionally, the lesser pressure on your system will allow it to detoxify itself naturally as you continue on the diet.

As a secondary benefit the fact that no animal products are included means it’s a very ethical way of living, since you don’t harm any other creature, or take from it what could have been used for something else (a concern for some).

On the other hand, there is one potential complication: since all animal (and cooked) products are excluded, some people can run into a lack of protein – especially growing children and athletes trying to build muscle. In these cases, it can become necessary to include a protein shake in your eating plan.

The biggest single challenge arising from the Raw Food Diet is the major change in your lifestyle. It represents a drastic shift away from “normal” eating habits, forcing you to embark on a very strict eating pattern. While the benefits are numerous, the drastic change is just too much for many people. Consider that it’s not only a physical change of your eating habits but a new mindset and totally different way of life.

The Slim-Fast Diet is as the name expresses, a diet to lose weight quickly. While it’s not an adjustment that can be made permanently, it does promise quick results.

With the Slim-Fast 3•2•1 Plan, you’ll pick three nourishing snacks a day. You can choose from Slim-Fast 100-calorie snack bars, nuts, fruits and/or veggies. Snacking can be a good thing! In fact, it’s an important part of the Slim-Fast 3•2•1 Plan. It keeps your metabolism going and gives you the energy you need to help get through the day.

Choose two Slim-Fast shakes or meal bars to replace 2 of your meals. You can replace these meals with Slim-Fast shakes and meal bars in a range of flavors. Some of these flavors are much tastier than others, so it may take you awhile to find the flavors you like best.

Lastly, you’ll enjoy one 500-calorie balanced meal per day. The Slim-Fast website has recipes that are specifically designed by their Test Kitchens to provide delicious-tasting, 500-calorie meals that you can enjoy at home.

There are, unfortunately, a few limitations. First of all, you should be eighteen years or older or the diet could cause complications while your body is still in its final stages of development. Additionally, it cannot be used by pregnant or breastfeeding women, or people with any medical problems. As such, you will have to consult with your doctor before embarking on the Slim-Fast diet – which is a good thing to do when you want to follow any serious weight loss plan.

Lastly, the makers only advise it for use by people who intend to lose a maximum of around thirty pounds. As such, it is not recommended for a large portion of the population who have far more than 30 lbs. to lose. If you need to lose more than thirty pounds, you should explore other options instead.

If you’re just looking to get weight off quickly for an upcoming event like a reunion or vacation, this diet might be for you. The website has some tools to help you plan for specific events.

If you’re looking for a long term solution to your weight problems, this probably isn’t the best plan for you.

If your eating pattern is not sustainable, it is unlikely that the results will be sustainable either.

Have you tried Slim-Fast? Did it work for you? I’d love it if you’d leave a comment!

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Welcome to Flabby Fashionista!

Lisa Joy Thompson started FlabbyFashionista.com to to encourage moms and to empower them to look their best, feel their best, and be their very best. You’ll find reviews, giveaways, encouragement, weight loss tips, and so much more.